OLD WORLD STAGE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2018, 27 March 1914, Page 9

OLD WORLD STAGE.

COVENT GARDEN AND LA SCALA.

THE PALM TO MILAN

Being vitally interested in all matters, appertaining to the musical and dramatic.arts, Mr. Theodore Qucree, of Wellington, found much to grip his attention within the walls of the theatres of tho Old AVorld during his recent tour of Europe. The New Zealander, with an avowed passion for opera is apt to regard the Covent Garden Opera House, London, in perspective, as the Mecca of tho grand opera world, and a pilgrimago to that shrine an inestimable delight. Mr. Queree frankly confesses that ho was disappointed in tho manner in which tho operas are done at Covent Garden, whero ho saw "Aida" and "Faust" (with' Melba as Marguerite), and other operas, and asserts that the productions thero do not begin to comparo with thoso at La Scala, in Milan.

"At Covent Garden," he says, "there was a lack of lifo and that animation which to a largo extent conveys the spirit of the opera, was missing, besides which the operas I heard were palpably insufficiently rehearsed, so that tho interpretation of the operas fell a good - deal short of what they should be. Of course, you got the beautiful voices, and the singing was very fine on occasions, but the singers were individual—that is to say, they were themselves rather than the characters they were supposed to represent. I don't know that I would not have preferred to hear lesser stars in the loading roles if the story of tho opera were more convincingly conveyed. Tho mounting of tho operas I saw at Covent Garden, too, were drab and dull, compared with that given in the Continental centres. - Not long after the regular Covent Garden season, Mr. Raymond Rose, backed by a syndicate, inaugurated a season of opera, playing "Garmeii," "Hansel and Gretel," and an opera of his own composition, "Joan of Arc." The work met with a lukewarm success. Though it contained some beautiful music, the whole thing was spun out to a degreo of monotony, and, frankly, I was bored to death.. Though second-rate artists only were employed, the syndicate managed to lose £28,000 in eight weeks." Supremacy of La Scala..

"How different is tho atmesphcro at La i Scala. in Milan. I was fortunate enough to be present during the Verdi centenary celebrations last year, and bad. one of those rare treats which only come once in a man's lifetime. I saw "Aida" performed in tho great theatre with Zanatello, a fine emotional fiery tenor as Radomes, and his wife," Isabella Gay, as Aida. The opera was played without any cuts, and the end found Zanatello as fresh as a lark. Tho great wonder at La Scala to a stranger is that everyone in the audience seems to know every note of the opera, and they hung upon every phraso with an absorbing interest that was amazing to see. When one 6i tho principals sang and phrased particularly well, one could hear the hiss of thousands of voices saying "Brava" under their breath. La Scala seats between 5000 and 6000 people, and has six galleries. For tho Verdi centenary there was an orchestra of 200 performers, and in "Aida" 600 supers were employed, apart from principals and chorus.

! A Now Opera. There is another excellent theatre devoted to opera in Milan, called tho I'lia'd't-lio pleasure' of seeing Mascagni's new' opera "Isaboau," a fine work, which has been hailed as a great 'success." it pleased me immensely. It has a great, tragic grip,. and the music is really magnificent. The story narrates the hopeless lovo of a young gardener for the. beautiful Princess Isabeau and her love for him. One episode in tho opera concernstho destruction of tho 'royal gardens by the gardener, in order that ho may be imprisoned wliero from his cell win-, dow he may see tho Princess. For this act and for daring to. aspire to the lovo of Isabeau, tho lover is condemned to bo shot at dawn. The King, .enraged at the turn his domestic aifairs have taken gives Isabeau the option of.marrying tho man of. his choice or walking the streets of the city in a state of nudity. Isabeau chooses the latter alternative, and-for one instant the aud.'enco.actually sees tho nude figure flying acros's the street. She returns 'to the castlo at dawn, and as vhe rabble tears down the gates to be present at the execution of the presumptuous young gardener, Isabeau is crushed beneath them. I also saw good performances of "Cavalleria" and "La Traviata" at the Dal Vermee." "In London I saw 'Tho Girl in the Taxi,' 'The Girl in tho Film,' 'The Girl from Utah,'' and quite a lot of other girls in light and airy musical comedy. In this class of musical play one does not look for voices—or at least you don't get them—but you sco a lot of clever and charming people. Phyllis Dare, for example, is tho daintiest and most refined littlo actress, with a pinpoint voico that one has to strain to hear at all, yet' she is full of charm. One innovation in London was tho employment of Mr. Geo. Douthil as principal boy in tho Drury Lane pantomime, "The Sleeping Beauty.' He is a young man of attractive appearance, with a good baritone voico, and all tho critics hailed the appearance of a genuine 'boy''in pantomimo as something to bo desired, and the women playgoers wero of the samo opinion. Tho difficulty will bo to get a supply of real 'boys' that can do tho work required.

- flecent successes. "I thought tho company supporting Sir Beerbohm-Tree in 'Joseph and Hiß Brethren' a poor one. Tree appeared to have surrounded himself with a company of young, inexperienced people, who shouted their lines- strenuously and consistently without getting across tho footlights: ■ How dittcrcnt from tho quiet, reposeful methods of Treo himself. The scenery was the finest feature of tho play, and with that should bo coupled the wonderful lighting effects. One of tho dramatic treats I encountered was Mr. Laurence Irving in "Tho Typhoon," an intensely dramatic play, in which- Mr. Irving appears as a young Japaneso diplomat attached to tho Embassy in Berlin. I also saw Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Sir Geo. Alexander, in a successful revival of "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray," the last-named actor in tho French play "The Attack," Mr. Martin Harvey in "Tho Only Way," and was present at Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson's fare-' well to the stage in London, when that very fine actor appeared in "Tho Passing of tho Third Floor Back" and "Tho Sacrament of Judas." Robertson is like Bernhardt, a master of tone colour—a still-calm actor with a voice capable of expressing any emotion. Bernhardt is the same. They told mo that tho golden Beauty of her voice had departed, but when I saw her in scenes from "The Women of Samaria" and "Theodora," I was thrilled with the beauty of her voice, and its command over the entire gamut of emotional tones, from tho harsh, coarse tones of liato and horror to the soft cooiugs and flutings of tho passion-swayed lover. What a woman —what an artist I Other bright dramatic memories are "Tho Great Adventure" of Arnold Bennett, "A Place in the Sun," and some lovely revivals of "The Gondoliers" and "Tho Pirates of Penzance" at tho Savoy Theatre. I was pleased to see that there is quite a general revival of Gilbert and Sullivan's operas throughout tho United Kingdom, I hope, it 'will spread thhj way I"